Speed boat



May 5, 1925. 1.536.940

v E H; N. SHER'BURNE';

SPEED BOAT Filed Jui 14. 1924 s-sheets-sheefl 1 May 5, 1925.

- H. NI SHERBURNE SPEED BQAT Filed July 14. 1924 3 Shqi-Sheet 3 ENJ/wrPatented May 5, 1925.

g 1,536,940 T -orricrz.

HENRY NEWTON SHERBUREE, OF PLAQUEMINE, LOUISIANA.

SPEED BOAT.

Application flled July '14, 1924. Serial No. 725,932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY NEWTON Smut BURNE, a citizen: of the UnitedStates, resiliing at Plaquemine, in the parish of Iberville 6 and Stateof Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SpeedBoats; and I do declare the following to be full. clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to'which .it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in speed boats and has foran object to provide a light craft susceptible of carrying relativelyheavy weight at high speed in very shallow water without interferencefrom marine growth such as water lilies.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of an improvedhull of improved formation in order to adequately sustain the weightofthe motor and cargo without allowing the draft to become too great asto interfere materially with the speed of the boat and the bottom of thehull is co ordinated in its construction with weight and disposition ofweight of the motor to properly place the center of gravity and to offset both the Weight of the motor and the propelling forcethereof. 3OW"ith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will bemore fully do scribed hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views.

-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an improved speed boat constructedaccording to the 0 present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same. Figure 3 is an end view of theboat.

Figure fl is a. bottom plan View.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 in Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a similar section taken on the line (36, also in FigureReferring more particularly to the drawings 7 designates generally thehull of the boat, 8 the motor and 9 the propeller which is. an airpropeller of large dimensions situated above the rear portion of thehull and for this reason the motor is elevated upon a stand constructedespeciallylfor the purpose, the-stand being received upon thelongitudinal timbers 0 and 11 which. run

the full length of the iull and which are a part of the hullconstruction as shown in Figures 5 and 6, t-llBSfitlmbGIS reinforcingand strengthening the hull ina longitudinal direction and toopposite-sides'of the longitudinal center of the hull atequ'ally spaceddistances, so as to balance not only the hull in {)he water, but alsothe motor upon the timers. v i At the rear ortion of the hull thesetimbers are of su cient height to project above the rear deck 12, but atthe front portion of the boat as shown in Figure 5 the timbers liebeneath the convex deck 13.

In Figure 2 the cock it is shown at 14 for receiving the seat or thepassengers and the controls for the rudder and motor. The boat issteered by means of the rudder 15 pivotally suspended as indicated at 16of the rudder gear whichis held in appropriatelbrackets 18 upon the endof the boat. The rod 17 is spread at its lower ends into forks 19 whichembrace the side portions of the rudder and carry a pin 20 pivotingthrough a slot 21, of the rudder blade in order to permit the blade toswing in a ver tical plane, although the weight of the rudder willnormally hold it down somewhat beneath the flat bottom oftheboat. Inpass ing over obstacles as Water'lili'es andthe like in the water therudder 15 in ayrise to the dotted line position shownin Figure-l so asto avoid any breakage in the rudder blade or its parts. y

The hull is Wide as compared with its length in order to give stabilityto the boat, especially with the elevated motor and propeller whichWeighs considerably and the bottom of the hull is divided into front andrear sections which are separated by the step 22; this step'occurringabout midway of the length of the boat and extending in a transversedirection. The front section of the bottom is composed of half portions23 and 24 shown in Figure slope in opposite directions 'from the keelline 25 upwardlytoward the outer ed e of the hull and at the same timethese hul sections are curved, as indicated in F' 1 from a high point atthe bow gradually downward toward the stern, this curvature beingindicated at 26 and moreover as shown in Figure 4: the bow is pointed inthe usual.

t which half portions 75 from the vertical rod'l7 forming a portionverticalplane of the side of the boat.

The rear section of the bottomis composed of mil-time 28 and'29whichiextend on a slig inclination froma high point at the step22.downwardlystoward the rear end of the boht and these portions 28and29- a1so slope transversely'from the keel line outwcrdly and upwardlysides of the boat. In Figure 5 is shcfniiithe-Etransverse inclinationgiven thegjfront sections23 and 24 and in F gure 6 theinclinationgitenthe sections 28 and 29 is clearly illustrated.

The boat. is relievedof an longitudinally continuousksel and inste 'a'small metal keel 30 is protidedmpon the rearmost portion of the frontbottom section iust in advanes 01. the step 28 while a similar'li'sel 31is carried by the real-most central part "of the rear bottom section atapproxunntely the stern of the boat, this keel 31 being raised above theintermediate keel 30 because of the step ing of the bottom sections.Both heels are 'ort'in length andhave inwater; The rear bottomsection isalso pro; vided withlateral balancingkeels 32 and 33 similar to the keel31' and being located at the'outer edges of the rear bottom portions 28and 29 and consequently with respect to the keel 31.

. The engine 8 is supported upon and and intermediate standards 34 and35 which are reinforced by diagonal crossed braces 36 and 37intersecting at approximately the center Y of the intermediate standard35 and being riveted, welded or otherwise secured thereto. The outerends of the crossed braces 36 and 37 are secured respectively to theupper and lower 'ends of the. end standards 34. A top rail 38 connectsthe up or ends of the standards and the lower en s of the severalstandards aresecured appropriately to the upper projectin edges of thetimbers 10 Iaiid 1 which as beibre stated extend above the rear deck 12.The intermediate standards 35 are placed slightly forwardly of the rearsection of the bottom in ordcr that the center of gravity may cause theboat to assume a proper position in the water withthe bow slightlyraised. The weight of the cargo and passengers is also forwardly of themotor stand so that the motor must be placed forwardly to take care ofthis additiohal weight. Moreover the propulsive force of the pro eller 9will tend to drive the how downwar ly into the water and the weight ofthe motor and its position upon the relatively shallow fiat bottomedhull compensetes for this action.

'cr so that theouter edges oi the bot slightly raised assess-c provided,well lqncwn controls accessible ta he: eperator occupying the seat 1% inthe cock pit. The motor drives the propeller 9 which reacts against thesurrounding air and In operation motor is started and is drives theboat. Inasmuch as the body takes a very light draft, the air propelleron? -wi be capable of driving it at great speed and as the speedincreases the boat will tend to rise pro rtionately out of the water sothat the skin friction will be reduced in ratie to the speed permittingof the attainment of the verg high speed. Moreover the disposition of te weight of the motor with reference to the character and formation ofthe double flat bottom section admits of: liftin the bow of the boat andin, tact substantia y the entire boat from the water with only the twoheels 30 and 31 and the rudder being, immersed in the water during thehi%hest speed of theboat.

he inclination given both bottom sections with the position of the motorprevents the how being driven out as won (1 otherwise occur fromthe'tendency developed by the propeller 9. The step 22 admits air and vtends to break any vacuum that would occur clined outen'endst olassistin; dividing the upon the bottom of the boat and this is also assistedby the lateral inclination of the sectend to raise the boat when drivenforwardly "and the fiat character of the hositogether tions whichassists in raising the bottom or? I the boat as itgathers speed It ISobvious that various changes and mod ifications may he made in thedetails or construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invcrg;

tion without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes andmodifications being restricted onlyby "the scope of-the iollowingclaims.

'Whatis claimed is:- 1 '1. A speed boat comprisinga hull having asubstantially ilatbottom made up of sections sic ped one above another,the sections being s oped from front downwardly to stern and beinginclined laterally from the keel line in an outwardly and upperdirection, short heels carried by the rear portions of the front andrear sections, said front section being curved at its forward end andcurved to the bow-oi the boat, and a motor and propeller-erected at anelevation above substantially the intermediate portion of the rearsection of the bottom.

2. A speed boat comprising a hull of relatively short yet wide surfacearea made up in two sections, the rear section being stepped above theplane of the front section, each section composed of half portionsinclined from the keel line outwardly and upwardly in lateral directionsand both said point atthe bow downwardiy toward the rear portion andhaving convergent and curved forward edges, iongitndinni timbers toopposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the boat above thebottom sections, on engine frame mounted on said timbers substantiallymidway of the bottom section,

and an air propeller driven by said engine.

3. A speed boat comprising a hull of relatively short yet Wide surfacearse made up in two sections, the rear section. being stepped above theplane of the front section, each section composed of half portionsinclined from the k'eel line outwardly and iipnnrdly in lateraldirections and both said v sections inciining from their forward ends,front section being! curved from the high point at the bow downwardlytoward the rear portion and having convergent and curved forwardedgesficlosed front and rear" decks on the hull with an open cock pittherebctween, longitudinal .tinihers placed on end parallel with and toopposite sides of the center line of the boot, said timbers extendiiigthe fnli length of the hull and beneath the front deck, but projectingabove the rear deck, on engine freme mounted uponthe timberssubstantially-midway of the rear section, an engine and a propellersupported thereon. 4'. A specdhoat compr s ng-{hon of relatiyely shortyet wide surface area ma denup tion and havingconvergcnt and curvedfor-v ward edges, and front and rear closed decks respectively above thetwo bottom sections with an open cock pit between these sections,longitudinal timbers extending substantially the length of the hull andbeing set on end, said timbers extending above the rear deck, an engineframe erected on the projecting boat with the center ofgravity aboveSubstontiiilly the center of the rear portion of the bottom, an engineand a propeller carried by said frame and a pivoted rudder at the rearof the boat.

HENRY NEVVTQN SHERBURNE.

parts of the timbers at the rear part of the,

